The BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium Reform in Undergraduate Biology Education

The BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium is funded by: Howard Hughes Medical Institute National Science Foundation Education Outreach and Training - Partnership for Advanced Computing Infrastructure (EOT-PACI)

Collaborators John Jungck Editor, The BioQUEST Library Virginia Vaughan Managing Editor, The BioQUEST Library Robin Greenler Biocomplexity Project Tia Johnson Coordinator of Outreach-BEDROCK Deb Lynch, Sue Risseeuw Project Assistants, BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium Ethel Stanley Director, BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium Sam Donovan BEDROCK Project John Greenler Biocomplexity Project Amanda Everse BioQUEST Website

BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium’s 3 P’s: Problem Posing Problem Solving Persuading Peers

The BioQUEST Library Contains over 75 software simulations, tools, data sets, and other supporting materials from many areas of biology including ecology, evolution, genetics, molecular biology, physiology, developmental biology, botany, and neurobiology.

BioQUEST Projects LifeLines OnLine Investigative Case-Based Learning Bioinformatics Education BEDROCK Evolution Education Biocomplexity Education Microbiology Education Microbes Count! The BioQUEST Library

Biocomplexity Education Develop develop teaching strategies for integrating biocomplexity and its multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving in undergraduate education.

BioQUEST’s Biocomplexity Project

Biocomplexity Tools of the trade: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Computer-aided visualization Mathematical and statistical models Simulation models Real-time data acquisition Data mining Evolutionary bioinformatics Investigative case based learning Others?

Biocomplexity in Education

Biocomplexity in Education Addresses significant contemporary issues

Biocomplexity in Education Addresses significant contemporary issues Requires collaboration, integration and an interdisciplinary approach

Biocomplexity in Education Addresses significant contemporary issues Requires collaboration, integration and an interdisciplinary approach Employs multiple modes of understanding and learning

Biocomplexity in Education Addresses significant contemporary issues Requires collaboration, integration and an interdisciplinary approach Employs multiple modes of understanding and learning Engages students in a diversity of techniques and hands-on inquiry

Biocomplexity in Education Addresses significant contemporary issues Requires collaboration, integration and an interdisciplinary approach Employs multiple modes of understanding and learning Engages students in a diversity of techniques and hands-on inquiry Allows for participation in contemporary scientific research (questions and results)

So what are the lessons from BioQUEST’s 18 year history that are relevant to biocomplexity?

Need to provide opportunity for students to pose real questions, access and grapple with real data, using real computational tools Biocomplexity Education

Need to provide opportunity for students to pose real questions, access and grapple with real data, using real computational tools Direct, “real time” access of contemporary research into the classroom is critical Biocomplexity Education

Need to provide opportunity for students to pose real questions, access and grapple with real data, using real computational tools Direct, “real time” access of contemporary research into the classroom is critical Technology can be an enabler to inquiry oriented, constructivist, student directed learning Biocomplexity Education

Need to provide opportunity for students to pose real questions, access and grapple with real data, using real computational tools Direct, “real time” access of contemporary research into the classroom is critical Technology can be an enabler to inquiry oriented, constructivist, student directed learning Case based approach can provide a good entree into a problem space Biocomplexity Education